Why large non-profits opt for small hosting companies over the cloud

Flexible customization options and security is one reason why non-profits need to opt for small hosting companies for their day-to-day operations. However, as more and more organizations are moving their operations to the public cloud, they need to be made aware of the fact that they usually lack the knowledge to implement and maintain the proper security for their cloud infrastructure.

This can have devastating consequences for them because non-profits face a greater risk of security breaches. As a result, a breach may go undetected and they lack the expertise required to respond to one, even if it were detected.

Suggested resource:  Concourse offers free migration services to organizations who use Blackbaud CRM

How the COVID-19 pandemic can affect non-profits

Now that the focus of the whole planet is concentrated on how to fight the coronavirus pandemic, non-profits are likely to see a slowdown in the amount of people willing to donate. They can now take advantage of the time on their hands to reevaluate their internal infrastructure so that they can ensure that it is secured for when donations start to pick up again.

One of the preferred CRM systems used by non-profits is Blackbaud CRM and migrating it to a more secure hosting solution now will allow their systems to function more efficiently and to accommodate future demands and specific customizations once the turmoil of COVID-19 subsides.

How Concourse Private Cloud offers better hosting solutions

Besides offering more control with flexible customization options, Concourse Hosting also offers secure integrations and the expertise in hosting Blackbaud CRM software.

 

Fast connectivity

The centrally located data center in Dallas, Texas offers fast connectivity across seven tier-one carrier backbones. The Blackbaud CRM user data is replicated to a secondary data center in Seattle for DR recovery at 4-hr RPO and 24-hr RTO.

Dedicated virtual servers

Every organization has custom built Blackbaud CRM virtual servers that are dedicated to them alone. Concourse’s private cloud platform features VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus with High Availability. They keep pace with all the newest technology and these currently are running vSphere ESXi version 6.7.

Fast physical host hardware

Concourse works with Dell and they have created a custom powerhouse using a PowerEdge R640 stocked with dual Intel Xeon Gold 6244 3.6GHz processors. With 8 cores each, they have a total of 16 cores that either have 768GB or 1.5TB. Backed by ProSupport Plus, they have three 10Gb dual port network cards and redundant power.

First-class storage

Pure Storage provides the flash storage arrays where your Blackbaud CRM environments reside. These feature NVMe flash with 40 Gb uplink to their Cisco networking fabric. This system offers the latest and fastest storage and has sub-millisecond latency.

Security audit and compliance

In March 2020, Concourse Hosting completed its annual security audit and is a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider. The security auditors also rated them as a HIPAA/HITECH compliant provider. This is a crucial security component for all organizations that provide services to the healthcare industry. Concourse is committed to security and Blackbaud CRM infrastructure benefits from the multiple layers provided. Regular penetration tests are run and annual audits are a must. AOC is provided upon request.

Firewall security zone

Each client’s Blackbaud CRM resides within its own firewall security zone and has a dedicated firewall interface and custom access. Furthermore, the Development and Production environments are isolated from each other to eliminate any impact from user activity on either zone.

Recent non-profit acquisitions

Non-profits want to have more control and often struggle to manage and secure everything because they lack the expertise. Therefore, they opt for Concourse and their most recent acquisitions were two new large non-profits. Concourse was recently chosen over competitor hosting options by the University of Arizona Foundation and the Texas Children’s Hospital. These organizations gave the hosting company a vote of confidence to host their Blackbaud CRM fundraising systems, the core system for the day-to-day running of their operations.

COVID-19 and lockdown has brought many of the fundraising activities for non-profits to a standstill and sponsors to these are concentrating their efforts to the race in finding a cure or vaccine. For now, organizations can concentrate on moving to a better hosting company over the cloud and experience the friendly support that their teams deserve.